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Types of Compound Medication

Sometimes commercially prepared medication cannot be used in certain instances. And in this case, compound medication is used. There are compounding pharmacies that are used to prepare these customized medications according to the needs of patients as prescribed by a doctor.

There are so many different types of compounded medicines and you can find them in different forms. There are many formulating options available when customizing a medication. The medicine is usually customized from scratch. Compound medication tends to be more expensive than what you would buy normally at commercial pharmacies as they are formulated especially for your requirements. For example, the dosage of a certain medication can be changed or the form of the medicine can be changed from a pill to syrup or even a gel. The common compounded medications you will come across are oral, sublingual and topical medications.

You can find topical medications in the form of creams, gels, solutions, lotions, ointments etc. that you can apply on the skin or mucous membrane for pain relief. The benefit of using topical medication is that the treatment is local allowing the drug to be absorbed effectively. This is also a great option for children’s medicine. Children will find difficulty with oral medication so they can be administered as syrup. There are even medications prepared as gummies that appeal to children more.

Many oral medicines in the form of suspensions, capsules, solutions and tablets are compounded. You will need to take these through the mouth. But there are so many customizations that can be done to these oral medicines. If you are lactose intolerant and cannot tolerate a commercially available drug, it can be made to be lactose free. Also, certain medications can be made without dyes or sugar. Some people are allergic to certain dyes and this can be a good option for them. Suppositories can be inserted through the vagina or rectum.

And this is another option for patients who can’t swallow pills. Maybe the patient is suffering from nausea which can prevent them from taking oral medication. Then the same medication can be compounded as a suppository so it can be absorbed locally. There are also vaginal creams and rectal enemas that serve the same purpose.

A sublingual medication refers to medicine that is administered under the tongue. Here you are using the mucous membrane in your mouth to absorb the medication. This quick and effective way of delivering medicine to the body. This is commonly used by patients with high blood pressure. Sublingual as well as topical medications bypass to liver metabolism.

And if there is a patient who is finding it difficult to swallow pills, sublingual medications are a great option. Some examples of sublingual medications are drops, lozenges and solutions. There are even certain sterile injections that are compounded. You can use a needle and a syringe to administer these to the patient through subcutaneous, intravenous or intramuscular delivery. If there is a solution that is irritating to the patient, it can be administered as a sterile injection.

Leandro Flynn
the authorLeandro Flynn

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